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Breaking News: Animals Get Stuck in Gum!

“Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum” by Lisa Wheeler

How would you like a sure-fire, always successful read-aloud story for the young children you teach? Well, here it is. One of my students’ top favorites.

Here’s the plot:

Uh oh! A toad is just walking down the road when he accidentally steps in bubble gum. Ooey, gooey bubble gum! He tries to get out, but he can’t. (Apparently it’s really sticky gum – that, or else the toad is simply too weak. Anyway. He’s stuck. Then along comes a shrew (why a shrew? I don’t know. This is the one and only shrew I’ve ever seen in a children’s book), and a goose, and a bee, and a crow, who’s old and wears glasses. (Again, I don’t know why.) They all get hopelessly stuck in the gum.

But wait – things get even worse! A big blue truck is coming down the road! “Oh no – what will they do now?” I ask the children. One boy last week said, “They’re going to die.” Good answer, but no. The resourceful animals chew the gum and blow a bubble, which lifts all of them way up into the sky, far beyond the reach of the truck.

Yay! But – watch out! A big brown bear is coming! (Just when you thought everything was okay!) Now the little animals just hide and hope for the best. Surprise! The bear gets stuck in the bubble gum!

This story is so ridiculous. It makes no sense at all. But here’s the thing: Young children LOVE this story. I think stepping in gum is just inherently funny (unless it happens to you).

I make this story musical by repeating the refrain “Bubble gum, bubble gum, ooey gooey bubble gum,” each time one of the animals gets stuck. (I sing this to the tune of “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.”) It’s easy for the children to sing along with and keeps them actively involved in the story.

Just for fun, I bring out a puppet of one of the animals later to remind the children not to step in gum! They love it!

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About Me

I'm an early-childhood music and science teacher and my new book, "Exploring the Science of Sounds:100 Musical Activities for Young Children" will give you lots of ideas for bringing science to your classroom in a fun and musical way! My books include "101 Rhythm Instrument Activities For Young Children" (Gryphon House, 2004), "Shake, Rattle and Roll: Rhythm Instruments and More for Active Learning" (Gryphon House, 2015) and other books on children, music, and creativity. Through my books, and presentations around the country, I've shared hundreds of my original, classroom-tested, and ginormously fun activities with early childhood professionals. I love music, dancing, learning, reading, writing, coffee, cats, and teaching young children!